Explain how a bright line is formed by the diffraction grating at the first order diffraction angle

A diffraction grating is basically a series of very small, point-like light sources, where the adjacent ones are always a given distance away. To have a bright line, the light waves from all of the point-like sources must interfere constructively. This happens when the path difference between the adjacent light rays is an integer multiple of the wavelength. Therefore, there will a bright line for all the angles for which the path difference is the 0, the wavelength, twice the wavelength, and so on. Another name for the integer multiple is called the order of diffraction. Hence, at the first order diffraction angle, the path difference between the adjacent rays is exactly the wavelength of the light we use, so the light from each source on the grating will interfere constructively. This results in a bright line. 

AB
Answered by Abel B. Physics tutor

19270 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

what is a standing wave and how is it formed ?


What is the definition of the photoelectric effect?


A ball of mass 0.25 kg is travelling with a velocity of 1.2 m/s when it collides with an identical, stationary ball. After the collision, the two balls move together with the same velocity. How fast are they moving?


The speed of water moving through a turbine is 2.5 m/s. Show that the mass of water passing through an area of 500 metres squared in one second is about 1 x 10^6 kg (density of sea water = 1030 kg/m^3)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning